Penang police chief Mohd Shuhaily Zain said the police had spotted a grey Proton Waja with two men onboard being driven suspiciously along Jalan Penanti around 5.30am.

The police then ordered the driver to stop the car but he sped away instead.

When the car came to a stop near the foothills, the passenger rushed out and fired two shots at police personnel while the driver brandished a parang and tried to attack the policemen, he told reporters today.

He said both men acted aggressively and the police were forced to fire several shots at the assailants to defend themselves, killing both of them.

According to Shuhaily, the men, in their 30s and 40s, did not have any identification documents on them.

He added that no police personnel were hurt in the shootout.

“Their identities have yet to be determined at this point due to the lack of identification documents on them but based on investigations, the suspects were wanted by the police for crimes in the state,” he said.

Police also found heroin and various equipment believed to be used to break into houses in the boot of the vehicle, which was reported missing in Sungai Petani, Kedah on Aug 29 last year.

They also seized a pistol loaded with six bullets and a parang used by the suspects in the shootout.